How to Decorate Your Dorm Room

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Are you a soon to be college freshman or returning college student living in a dorm? Are you tired of beige cinder-block walls and neutral carpeted floors? Ever wonder if there’s got to be more to life than chasing down every temporary high to satisfy me? Do early 2000s songs ever just get stuck in your head?

If you answered yes to at least 3 of those questions, then this post is for you (with just 5 easy payments of $9.99)! Now Sparklers, I’m no interior design expert, but I’ve watched enough HGTV to believe that I’m an interior design expert. I’ve also watched far too many infomercials, but that’s a different story. So here’s my guide to decorating your college dorm room!

Your Windows: The window is what separates a dorm room from a solitary confinement cell. So dress it up—don’t leave it all naked and exposed. How?

Curtains: Your window probably already comes with blinds, which are great for keeping out that pesky sunlight, but blinds are bland. Curtains add a very homey feel to a room, plus they’ll get you a lot of compliments. Seriously, people are impressed by curtains… or at least I’m impressed by curtains.

Your Wall: You may think that your college’s rule about not being able to paint the walls will crush your artistic vision, but really it just forces you to get more creative. Try some of these:

Posters: Hanging posters is definitely the easiest way to add personality to your room. Favorite bands, movies, actors/actresses—you can even make your own posters at Kinko’s if you can’t find what you want online. My unicorn poster with the castle in the background and rainbow that melts into a waterfall has started many a conversation.

Photos: A bunch of teenagers dressed as Toy Story characters, a Chinese boy wearing American flag swim shorts and a Batman cape, an awkward 7th grade yearbook photo—that’s what your dorm-mates see. What you see: memories.

Silly things you found on the internet: Suddenly, Corgis.

Quotes: Type them up, print them out, put them in a frame, and you have art!

Those wall sticker things: They're fun to stick on the wall, and they look good, too.

Mirrors: Mirrors make small spaces look bigger. Also, they help you make sure your outfit looks okay.

White board: Everyone needs one of these! They’re perfect for writing notes to yourself or just randomly doodling.

Your Bed: It's not just for sleeping anymore! Your bed will most likely be the focal point of your room. It will also be where everyone’s going to sit because you only have one chair that’s covered with textbooks. So, your bed needs...

A really good comforter: Pick out a design that you like, because you’re going to be looking at it for the next 9 months.

Pillows: It’s a pillow. It’s a pet. Well, it’s not really a pet, but it’s squishy and nice to look at.

Your Floor: There's not much you can do here, but there's always the...

Comfy area rug: It doubles as more seating space, because there’s seriously never anywhere to sit in a college dorm room.

Your Ceiling: With dorm decorating, the sky’s the limit…well technically the ceiling.